Smoking articles



July 10, 1962 F. T. BARTOLOMEO SMOKING ARTICLES Filed Sept. 15, 1958 INVENTOR. Frank T. Bartolomeo FIGB FIG.7

FIG.2

FIG.4

3,043,314 SMGKlNG ARTICLES Frank T. Bartolomeo, 130 Kirkwood Ave., Merrick, NY. Filed Sept. 15, N58, Ser. No. 761,198 2 Claims. c1. 131 9) The present invention relates to improvements in smoking articles, and more particularly to improvements in articles such as cigars, cigarettes, cheroots and like smoking articles wherein tobacco is retained within a suitable wrapper formed of paper, tobacco leaf or like material.

In recent years, it has been generally accepted that the smoking of cigarettes may cause harmful results to the smoker. It is generally conceded that such harmful results as may occur from smoking are due to various tars and resins which are introduced into the smokers body as a result of inhaling the smoke since such harmful substance may be absorbed both within the lungs or the tissues of the oral cavity.

As a result of such developments, it has become a common practice to place a filter means in the butt end of a cigarette for reducing the amount of tars and resins which pass into the smokers mouth along with the smoke. One particular disadvantageous feature of filters commonly employed in the art today is the fact the entire supply of smoke which passes through the butt end of the cigarette is filtered thereby altering the flavor of the cigarette, and many smokers feel that the flavor of such filter cigarettes is not as desirable as that of the unfiltered cigarettes. Accordingly applicant has provided a novel arrangement wherein a filter means is embedded in the butt portion of the smoking article, and is spaced from the wrapper and from the end of the article and completely surrounded by the combustible material of the cigar or cigarette and the like as the case may be. In this manner, gasses drawn into the smokers mouth through the butt end of the cigarette will pass to a great extent through the filter and partly through the tobacco or combustible material surrounding the filter. In this manner, the filtered and unfiltered smoke will blend together in the smokers mouth to provide substantially the same pleasant taste as obtained with completely unfiltered smoke, and yet at the same time a major portion of the tars and resins will be filtered out of the smoke by the filter means.

An additional novel feature of the present invention is the incorporation, in combination with the filter means, of air passage means preferably in the form of a plurality of passages which have their outer ends opening through the outer surface of the smoking article and converging toward the central portion of the article with their inner ends disposed closely adjacent to one another and to the filter means to thereby direct the air inwardly to a common point to create a concentrated cooling effect upon the smoke within the smoking article and cause deposition of tars and nicotine in the filter material.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and novel smoking article which provides a blend of filtered and unfiltered smoke to obtain a very pleasant tasting smoke.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a smoking article wherein a major portion of the tars and resins is prevented from entering the smokers mouth.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a smoking article including means for entraining cooling air within the smoke.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a smoking article employing the novel filter of the present invention in combination with a conventional type filter such as presently employed in smoking articles such as cigarettes.-

Other objects and many attendant advantages of the invention will become more apparent when considered in connection with the accompanying specification and drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a smoking article in the form of a cigar constructed in accordance with the present invention;'

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 2--2 in FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a filter employed according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified filter employed in the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a smoking article in the form of a cigarette constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view on line 6-6 of FIG. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing another form of the invention; and

FIG. 9 is a view similar to views 7 and 8 illustrating still another form of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a cigar indicated generally by reference numeral 10 having opposite ends 11 and 12, the portion indicated generally by reference numeral 13 comprising the butt portion of the cigar which is adapted to be at least partially inserted within the mouth of a smoker. A wrapper 15, which in cigars is conventionally of tobacco leaf or the like, defines the outer surface of the body of the cigar, and a suitable combustible material such as tobacco #16 is disposed within the wrapper'and distributed throughout the cross-sectional area of the interior of the cigar.

A filter means indicated generally by reference numeral 2b is embedded within the butt portion of the cigar, and it should be noted that the outer surface 21 of the filter means is spaced a substantial distance inwardly from Wrapper 15, and that the end surface 22 of the filter means is spaced a substantial distance from 'end 12 of the cigar. -It is accordingly apparent that the filter means is completely surrounded by the combustible material of the cigar.

Referring to FIG. 3, filter means 20 comprises a hollow substantially cylindrical housing formed of card board or other suitable material which is fairly rigid and adapted to maintain its shape. The filter means is open at both ends thereof, and a suitable absorbent filtering substance, such as cotton 23 or the like, is disposed within the housing of the filter means. It is apparent that a large portion of the smoke entrained in the smokers mouth will pass through the filter means thereby removing a substantial portion of the tars and resins from the smoke that passes into the smokers mouth. It is, of course, also evident that a portion of the smoke produced from the combustion of the tobacco of the cigar will pass around the outer surface of the filter means and thence to the smokers mouth without passing through the filter medium.

FIG. 4 illustrates a modification of the invention wherein the filter means has been given reference numeral 20'. The filter medium 23' employed therein is similar to that as described previously. Filter 20' is provided with a plurality of openings 25 formed through the lateral wall thereof, openings 25 preferably being provided in two longitudinally spaced rows, the openings in each row being circumferentially spaced from one another so as to provide a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings in each row, as for example five openings may be provided in each of the pair of rows. It is apparent that the number of openings through the wall of the filter means may be varied as desired.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a modification of the invention as incorporated in a cigarette or similar smoking article, although at this point it is emphasized that the various filter and air passages as disclosed in this application can be as equally Well employed either in cigars, cigarettes or other similar smoking articles. As seen in FIG. 5, a fi-lter means similar to the filter 26' shown in FIG. 4 is disposed within the cigarette in the butt portion 31 thereof. The filter means is spaced from the wrapper and end 32 of the cigarette in a manner similar to that in which the filter is spaced from the outer surfaces of the cigar as shown in FIG. 1. Passage means is provided for entraining air within the cigarette, and is shown as comprising four passages 35 extending obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the cigarette, the outer ends 36 of the passages openings through the wrapper 37 of the smoking article, and the inner ends 38 of the passages terminating adjacent one another. As seen most clearly in FIG. 7, the passages in this modification intersect one another at a point disposed at the forward end portion 44 of filter means 3ft whereby it is apparent that the air entrained through passages 35 is concentrated at the central portion of the forward end of the filter means, thereby materially assisting in depositing the tars and resins due to the cooling effect provided at this point.

The passages formed through the body of the smoking article may be formed by any suitable means such as by inserting pins or similar elongated pointed articles through the body means, the tobacco being of sufiicient compactness to retain the shape of the passages after removal of the pins or similar means. It is evident that various procedures may be employed for forming the passages within the body of the smoking article.

Referring to FIG. 8, a modification is shown which is similar to FIG. 7 and wherein the similar portions have been given the same reference numeral primed. In this modification, the passages intersect at a point numbered which is spaced a substantial distance from the forward end 46" of the filter means whereby the passages are spaced from the filter means by a substantial thickness of the combustible material. This arrangement permits the cooling air to substantially cool the smoke prior to entering into the filter means such that the pre-cooled smoke will be deposited in the filter means, and in addition a portion of the cooling air may escape about the outer periphery of the filter for cooling the smoke which passes around the filter.

Referring now to FIG. 9 of the drawings, a further modification of the invention is illustrated employing an arrangement wherein the filter and passage arrangement is similar to that shown in FIG. 7 wherein the passages intersect at a point closely adjacent the forward end of the filter. Similar elements as shown in FIG. 9 to those of FIG. 7 have been given the same reference numerals double primed. In this modification, the novel combination includes a conventional cigarette filter indicated by reference numeral which is commonly employed at the butt end of cigarettes and extends substantially throughout the cross-sectional area of the cigarette. This filter may be of any one of several conventional constructions as currently employed with popular selling cigarettes in the United States.

It should be noted that the filter element 30" according to the present invention is spaced from the conventional filter 55 by a substantial thickness of the combustible material within the cigarette and this particular combination obtains not only the previously mentioned desirable results, but in addition provides a further filtering effect which serves to remove any small amounts of undesirable resins and tars which may be drawn into the conventional filter, while at the same time maintains the desired flavor. It is also evident that various other filter arrangements according to the present invention as shown in FIGS. 1-8 may also be employed in combination with a conventional cigarette filter as shown in FIG. 9 wherein the novel filter arrangement according to the present invention is located closely adjacent to and spaced from the conventional filter at the butt end of the cigarette.

The filters employed in the modification shown in FIGS. 5-9 have each been described as being similar to the filter shown in FIG. 4 of the drawing, although it is, of course, also possible to employ the filter as shown in FIG. 3, but the filter shown in FIG. 4 is considered preferable in most instances since it reduces the moisture which tends to accumulate around the outer surface of the filter. The filter means is also preferably disposed along the longitudinal axis of the smoking article whereby the outer surface is substantially equally spaced at all points from the inner surface of the wrapper of the article.

It is also apparent that the various arrangements as shown for example in FIGS. 7 and 8 wherein the filter body is disposed in co-operative relationship with the inwardly obliquely extending passages may be employed in a cigar as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, and this is considered a very desirable and efiective arrangement according to the present invention. 7

It is apparent from the foregoing that thereis provided a new and novel smoking article incorporating a filter means wherein the filter means is completely hidden from view providing a very desirable external appearance to the article.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiments are therefore illustrative and not restrictive, and since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

I claim:

1. A smoking article comprising an elongate body including a wrapper and combustible tobacco filler material therein, the body having a rear butt end portion to be inserted into a smokers mouth and having an opposite forward end for igniting, an absorbent filter unit embedded in the combustible tobacco filler material of said butt end portion, said unit being of a cross sectional dimension less than the cross sectional dimension of the body and completely enveloped by a substantial portion of said combustible tobacco material, the filter unit having forward and rearward ends directed longitudinally of the body, the tobacco filler material being positioned closely adjacent to the forward end of the filter unit, said article having a plurality of air conducting passages oblique to the length of the body and the passages having air inlet and outlet ends with the inlet ends spaced around the body, the said wrapper having air admitting openings therethrough equal in number to the passages and each in registry with an inlet end of an air passage, the passages converging toward the forward end of the filter unit and with the outlet ends terminating at the said forward end of the filter unit and intersecting subsantially at the longitudinal axis of the body to create a concentrated cooling efiect'upon the smoke by air flowing inwardly to said intersecting outlet ends to cause deposition of tars and nicotine in the absorbent filter material, the said wrapper being imperforate from said openings to both ends of the body, and said combustible tobacco filler material extending completely about the passages and extending from the passages completely to the said opposite forward igniting end.

2. A smoking article comprising an elongate body including a wrapper and combustible tobacco filler material therein, the body having a rear butt end portion to be inserted into a smokers mouth and having an opposite forward end for igniting an absorbent filter unit embedded in the combustible tobacco filler material of said butt end portion, said unit being of a cross sectional dimension less than the cross sectional dimension of the body and completely enveloped by a substantial portion of said combustible tobacco material, the filter unit having forward and rearward ends directed longitudinally of the body, the tobacco filler material being positioned closely adjacent to the forward end only of the filter unit, said article having a plurality of air conducting passages oblique to the length of the body and the passages having air inlet and outlet ends with the inlet ends spaced around the body, the said wrapper having air admitting openings therethrough equal in number to the passages and each in registry with an inlet end of an air passage, the passages converging toward the forward end of the filter unit and with the outlet ends intersecting and terminating at the longitudinal axis of the body of filler material closely adjacent to said forward end of the filter unit to create a concentrated area of cool air in the filler 20 rate from said openings to both ends of the body and said combustible tobacco filler material extending completely about the passages and solid packed from said passages completely to the said opposite forward igniting end and over the said rearward end of the filter unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 428,394 Hoops May 20, 1890 1,616,851 Geisler Feb. 8, 1927 1,778,482 Burns Oct. 14, 1930 2,693,193 Pelletier Nov. 2, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,977 Great Britain 1899 297,550 Great Britain Sept. 27, 1928 758,429 Great Britain Oct. 3, 1956 

